Mysuru City Corporation Sets New Benchmark with 88.4% Property Tax Collection
The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has achieved a remarkable milestone in revenue collection, recording an unprecedented 88.4% property tax collection by the end of December 2025. This represents the highest collection rate ever achieved by the civic body, significantly surpassing previous years' performance where collections consistently remained below the 80% mark at year-end.
Innovative Strategies Drive Unprecedented Compliance
Officials credit this substantial improvement to several innovative measures implemented throughout the year. The most impactful initiative involved publishing the names of major defaulters—including individuals, commercial establishments, and government organizations—on the corporation's official website. This public disclosure strategy, implemented for the first time in MCC's history, proved highly effective in boosting compliance compared to previous years.
The published list specifically targeted top defaulters from both commercial and large residential categories, creating significant social and business pressure for tax payment. After issuing multiple notices and reminders through traditional channels, MCC adopted this transparency-driven approach to strengthen revenue recovery efforts.
Multi-Faceted Collection Approach
Beyond the public disclosure initiative, MCC implemented several complementary strategies that contributed to the record collection:
- Involving selected women self-help group members for tax collection in specific wards
- Intensifying door-to-door collection efforts across the city
- Sending targeted SMS alerts to major defaulters about impending consequences
- Launching awareness campaigns urging taxpayers to avail the 5% rebate offered during initial months of the financial year
These combined efforts created a comprehensive collection ecosystem that addressed different taxpayer segments through appropriate channels.
Historical Context and Current Performance
The significance of this achievement becomes clearer when examining historical data. During the corresponding period ending December in fiscal year 2024-25, MCC achieved 79.06% collection with property tax revenue of Rs 198.8 crore. The previous year, 2023-24, saw collections of Rs 164.2 crore.
With 1,83,000 properties within MCC limits, property tax represents one of the most important revenue sources for the corporation, alongside other streams like trade license and building license fees. The improved collection directly strengthens MCC's financial capacity to deliver civic services and infrastructure projects.
Official Perspectives and Future Goals
MCC Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Somashekhar emphasized the effectiveness of the special measures implemented this year. "The strategy of publishing the list of big property defaulters on our official website proved highly effective in property tax collection compared to previous years," he stated. The corporation has now set an ambitious target of achieving 100% property tax collection by the end of March for fiscal year 2025-26.
Citizen Feedback and Recommendations
Mohan Kumar, a resident of Vidyaranyapuram, offered constructive suggestions for further improvement: "MCC must come up with additional measures to boost revenue by simplifying property tax collection. This could include sensitizing taxpayers to pay property tax with the same regularity as they pay water cess and power tariff bills every month." He also emphasized the need to streamline payment processes to prevent taxpayers from "moving from pillar to post" for tax payments.
The record-breaking collection achievement demonstrates how strategic innovation in civic administration can significantly improve revenue recovery while maintaining public accountability. As MCC continues to refine its approach, this success serves as a potential model for other municipal corporations facing similar collection challenges.
